Greens criticise Labour for engineering 'sham election'

Carfax Ward by-election. 4th September.

The Greens have criticised Labour for engineering a 'sham election' timed at their convenience for when the majority of voters were absent.

Says Green Group Leader Cllr Sam Hollick "This is a hollow victory for Labour who won with the support of less than 4% of registered voters. This was a 'sham election' engineered by Labour to maximise their chances of retaining their remaining seat in Carfax ward following their defeat by the full electorate in May. I feel most sorry for the disenfranchised majority of electors.

"Labour's Alex Hollingsworth has been a respected Councillor in the past losing by only 40 odd votes in May. He may well have won fairly this time if he had submitted himself to the whole electorate. But with support of only 168 votes, or 3.8% of the electorate, he doesn't have a democratic mandate of any sort and he has no right to represent the area."